Letters From a Wilting Flower
by the-snitch-is-loose
Summary: A series of letters written by Lily Potter to her sister from her first month at Hogwarts to the announcement of Harry's birth. Inspired by Prompt 59 on hpfanfictionprompts tumblr.


September 6, 1971

_Dear Tuney,_

_Look, I'm sorry that Sev and I saw the letter you wrote to Professor Dumbledore. Before I left I tried to explain that we only looked at it because Sev was really impressed that a Muggle could contact Hogwarts, that's all, I swear. We weren't making fun of you at all! Anyway, I just wanted to say sorry. I hope you forgive us._

_I wish you could see this place, Tuney. Hogwarts is amazing! It's a huge castle full of secret passageways and tapestries and suits of armor, everything a castle needs. It's just like those stories Mum used to read, the ones with the dragons and princesses. Only it's real, not just a story! You wouldn't believe half the stuff that goes on here, though. The pictures on the wall, they move! Like a screen on a film, but you can actually have conversations with them. I had one tell me the other day that my robes were on backwards, which was lucky, because I was just about to walk into Charms class and everyone would have laughed at me._

_Do you remember how we used to say that Dad was the best cook in the entire universe, and that he should start his own restaurant because he was so good? Well Dad's got nothing on whoever cooks the food at Hogwarts, and I'm not just saying that. The tables are always full of the best food you could imagine, everything from pork pies to strawberry trifle. I thought of you on Tuesday when they made your favorite for lunch, French onion soup. I think of you a lot. I miss you._

_Sev and I got put in different Houses. Oh, right, you don't know what that means. Well, basically, every new student gets Sorted into one of four Houses, they're like clubs that you stay with every year. We eat, sleep, go to class, and study together. I got put in Gryffindor, which everyone but Sev says is the best House. He got Slytherin, which is where he always wanted to go, but all my new friends say that only bad people come from that House. I don't believe them; they all say that Sev is going to turn out bad like all the other people in his House, but I know Sev and I know that he could never be bad. My friends don't really understand why I talk to someone in Slytherin, but I don't understand why they don't. The Gryffindors and the Slytherins seem to hate each other a lot though. A boy I met on the train, Remus Lupin, tried explaining it to me. He was really nice about it, but I guess I'm just too stupid to understand. His parents are wizards, so he knows a lot more than I do about the wizarding world._

_But enough about me, what about you? Have you started school yet? Are you going to Stonewall High? I asked you before we left for the station on September 1, but you never replied. You were ignoring me, I guess. Please remember to answer my question in your letter, I want to send you mail directly instead of sending it home and hoping that Mum remembers to get it to you! Anyway, even if you didn't end up at Stonewall, I'm sure you'll be happy wherever you go._

_Well, I need to go study for Potions. Professor Slughorn said he was going to quiz us on how to properly brew a cure for boils. See, Tuney? Magic can be useful! If you ever get boils (and I really hope you don't because Professor Slughorn says they're really painful) I can cure you! Isn't that great?_

_Bye, Tuney! Don't forget to write! Send Mum and Dad my love!_

_Lily_

* * *

September 27, 1971

_Dear Tuney,_

_OK, so I'm going to assume that you're too busy to write me a letter back, because you didn't. Unless maybe wizard post is a lot slower than Muggle post, but I did wait three weeks just in case. Either way, here I go, writing to you again._

_Things are wonderful here at Hogwarts. I've made a lot of great friends, and almost all of my Professors are really good. The classes themselves get more interesting by the day, and learning all this stuff about wandwork and potions and magical plants and history is fascinating! I really wish you could be here, Tuney, I just know that you'd love it. Especially Charms. That's my favorite subject. Professor Flitwick is the sweetest little guy you'll ever meet, and the class itself is so much FUN! Did you know that I can make things fly? I could make your old dolls float across the room like fairies, just like we used to pretend!_

_Of course, nowhere is perfect (although Hogwarts certainly comes close!). There's this boy who I swear I could punch him right in the nose and not feel bad about it at all. And you know me, Tuney, I don't like to hurt people. This kid deserves it, though. His name is James Potter and he's seriously the most obnoxious kid I've ever had the misfortune to meet. He won't stop calling me "sweetie" even though I threaten him at least three times a day, and he makes fun of poor Sev all the time. You and I both know that Sev isn't the most social butterfly, but that doesn't give stupid Potter the right to pick on him! It just makes me so MAD! Potter and his little cronies, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. They have their own little gang of idiots. Ugh they annoy me! They think they're so funny with their pranks and jokes, but it's really not as funny as everyone else seems to think. Even Mary (she's my new best friend; we met on the train and we share a dormitory) likes them just a little bit. But not me. Oh no, not me. Not ever._

_Hoping to hear from you soon! I miss you terribly!_

_Lots of love,_

_Lily_

* * *

October 12, 1971

_Dear Tuney,_

_Will you PLEASE write back to me? I'm starting to get worried! Mum and Dad say that you're fine, but I'd really like to hear it from you. I'm sorry if I said something in one of my letters that offended you, but until you tell me what the matter is I really have no idea. Unless you're still mad that Sev and I saw your letter to Dumbledore? Because I already apologized for that, Tuney. I want to hear about your life at Stonewall High! Hogwarts is great, of course. I don't really have time to go into details, and something tells me you don't want to hear them anyway._

_Please, please, PLEASE write back soon. I want to hear from you more than anyone else._

_Love,_

_Lily_

* * *

December 2, 1971

_Dearest Tuney,_

_It's been over three months since we said goodbye to each other at King's Cross, and you still haven't written me a single letter. Instead of being cross at you, though, I've decided to take Mum's advice and keep writing until you reply. I'm not trying to be annoying, but I do want to fill you in on everything that goes on with me. Even though you don't show it, I know that you're curious about Hogwarts. I know you too well to think you're not, Tuney, so don't even deny it!_

_Christmas is coming! I'm excited to see you and Mum and Dad again, obviously, but to be honest I sort of wish that I could spend Christmas here, at Hogwarts. Don't be silly, Petunia, it's not because of you. It's because Hogwarts at Christmastime is one of the prettiest sights I've ever seen! I'm not kidding, Tuney, it's gorgeous. The suits of armor sing carols when you walk by, there are twelve Christmas trees that are so big, even Dad wouldn't be able to put the star on top! There's mistletoe in every corridor, and I have to be careful where I walk (and who I walk with) because that stupid little prat James Potter keeps trying to trap me underneath one. It's disgusting! He doesn't seem to be falling for the whole "girls have cooties" trick, because he's definitely trying to kiss me. Yes, Tuney, on the lips. I told you he's mad, didn't I? Because he is. Frightfully, irreversibly, undoubtedly MAD. Luckily Mary (my best friend; you must meet her, she's lovely!) knows some great jinxes to use on annoying boys, so they've worked pretty well so far. You'd think that the kid would just give up after being hit with a Bat-Bogey Hex three times!_

_Other than the stupid mistletoes, the castle looks really nice. The food has gotten better (if that's even possible) now that the holidays are coming too. You'll probably make fun of me when you see me in a few weeks because I'll be so fat from all the delicious food that you won't be able to stuff me in the car! I am not exaggerating here, Tuney, the food's that rich. But the thing is, I can't not eat it because it's so good. I am in a really serious situation here. It's just lucky that the castle is so big that you have to walk miles to get to each classroom, otherwise I would definitely be concerned about my health. Mind, I'm still a bit concerned about it._

_I can't wait until term ends so I can see you again! Feel free to write, if you get the time!_

_All my love,_

_Lily_

_P.S. – You can tell Mum to stop sending me dental floss. I think that four boxes should be enough, and my poor owl is getting quite tired of so many flights with the stupid little parcel on her leg! Make sure she knows that I appreciate her concern for my teeth, though._

* * *

March 15, 1972

_Petunia,_

_If our mother hadn't made me write this letter, I wouldn't have. Apparently I'm supposed to apologize to you for throwing a piece of trifle at your head at Christmas. And, even though it wasn't my fault, I guess I'm also supposed to say sorry for somehow making your pimples turn green. (Mum, I know you're reading this to make sure I did it properly, so you should know that THAT WASN'T MY FAULT. I CAN'T CONTROL MY MAGIC WHEN I'M REALLY ANGRY). Sorry._

_Lily_

* * *

March 22, 1972

_Dear Petunia,_

_I guess my last apology letter didn't pass inspection. I just don't understand how you can still be mad at me even though our last argument was September 1, and you never really had a reason to be angry in the first place because, like I said before, I wasn't making fun of you, I was expressing my amazement that a Muggle could get in touch with Dumbledore. That's all. So I don't really care if you're mad at me now, because you have no right to be, Petunia Evans!_

_But I really am sorry about throwing trifle at you. I shouldn't have done that, it was childish. I was frustrated, though, because you were completely ignoring me! I hadn't been home in three months and you refused to even say hello to me the entire holiday! I still don't know what exactly I've done wrong, and you refuse to tell me, so it looks like we won't be speaking to each other for a while. I suppose I'll see you when term ends in the summer. Send Mum and Dad my love._

_Lily_

* * *

October 29, 1973

_Dear Petunia,_

_Mum thought it might be nice if I sent you some Halloween candy from the village. Third years are allowed to visit Hogsmeade on certain weekends, and Dad signed the form saying I could but only if I made an effort to be nicer to you. I'm still not really sure what I did wrong. I gave you your space all last year just in case it was because I was annoying you with all my letters, but I guess that wasn't the problem. Anyway, there's an amazing little sweet shop in the village called Honeydukes, and that's where I got your candy, which I've enclosed in another parcel. There's some chocolate in there, and sugar quills (you're supposed to suck on them like a lollipop) and coconut ice (Severus told me to put that in there) as well as a few other things. I hope you like it._

_Love,_

_Lily_

* * *

November 3, 1973

_Petunia,_

_Mum told me you threw out the parcel of candy I sent without even opening it. Nice._

_See you at Christmas._

_Lily_

* * *

January 24, 1978

_Dear Petunia,_

_I need your help. I know that things have been quite tense between us over the last seven years, and I know that's an understatement. But I don't know who else I can really talk to. My friends here would laugh at me and Mum doesn't have a clue how to deal with this type of thing. We haven't really talked in a very long time, but at least our conversations over Christmas break were civil, right? So please, please Tuney, help me out just this one time. I need my big sister right now, I need her to give me some advice. Do you remember that boy I used to tell you about in my earlier letters? James Potter? Well something weird happened. I started becoming friends with him. More than that. I started liking him, in a more than friendly way. He's been trying to ask me out for literally three or four years now, but I've always turned him down. Until now._

_James always used to be really arrogant. I swear, Petunia, his head was so big I always wondered how the hell he managed to fit it inside his dormitory every night. But lately something's definitely changed about him. He's making an obvious effort to be humble, he holds the door open for people in the corridor, he's Head Boy, he actually studies, and he even stuck up for a first year the other day! You don't know James, so you don't really understand what a big deal it is that he'd do even one of those things, let alone all of them, but the point is that he's changed. Drastically._

_Petunia, I'm a little scared of what's happening, to be honest. I keep making up excuses to be with him. Utterly ridiculous excuses, too! I actually failed my Transfiguration quiz last week so that my professor would assign him (the best in our year in Transfiguration) to tutor me! Yeah, I failed a test so I could talk to a boy. Me! Lily Evans!_

_Yesterday, while he was tutoring me, he asked me if he could take me out for my birthday. I said yes. So I guess next Saturday we're going to Hogsmeade together for a coffee. Petunia, did I do the right thing? I have literally hated this kid for the last six years, and now all of a sudden we're dating! Tell me if I'm wrong, but it seems a little mad to me._

_Please send a reply back as soon as possible so I know whether or not I need to cancel my date with him!_

_Love,_

_Lily_

_P.S. – If you're wondering what Severus thinks of all this, you should know that I don't really care. He started hanging out with a group of friends that I couldn't stand around third year, and we haven't talked much since. Just in case you were wondering._

* * *

February 4, 1978

_Dear Petunia,_

_I never got a letter from you saying otherwise, so I assumed your silence meant that I should go on the date with James. If that's what your opinion was, I'm glad I listened to you! That date was one of the best nights of my life, maybe the best night of my life! It turns out that as long as James is away from his friends (namely Sirius Black) he's a perfect gentleman. We are officially dating now, so hopefully I can teach him to be a perfect gentleman all the time rather than just when we're alone._

_Anyway, I figured that I should tell you that the date went really well. The entire school seems to be abuzz about us. Apparently it's a pretty big deal because we're Head Boy and Girl and we're going out. Professor Flitwick told me that he and Professor Slughorn had a bet that we'd be dating by the end of the year, but I don't believe it. I certainly wouldn't have bet money on it!_

_Thanks for your help, I suppose. I still wish that you'd send a letter back to me though._

_All my love,_

_Lily_

* * *

June 4, 1979

_Dear Petunia,_

_I just wanted to congratulate you on your engagement to Vernon! I think it's so great that you're getting married, and I can't wait to meet Mr. Dursley himself. James is excited too. He doesn't really show it, but he's definitely anxious to meet you two. I'm so sorry that you didn't meet before now, but you never responded to any of my letters asking when you were available, so I assumed you were too busy. Luckily Mum knows your schedule pretty well and we were able to find some open time for Sunday afternoon!_

_See you soon,_

_Lily_

* * *

June 27, 1979

_Dear Petunia,_

_I'm very sorry that our meeting went so badly. I don't know what got into James! You have to understand, he really likes a laugh, and even though it may seem like he was making fun of Vernon, he was really just joking. You have to admit that Vernon was being a bit of a prat, though, asking James what sort of car he has when he knows full well that we don't drive! I personally don't blame James for making it into a joke and describing his racing broom, I would have done the same thing. Also, Gringotts is a real place, and James really did inherit a lot of gold from his parents, so there was no need for Vernon to make fun of James for being unemployed. I'm sorry you were too upset to stay for the full meal, but I made James promise that he would make it up to you some other time._

_One last thing: you didn't get the chance to tell me if I need to get a bridesmaid's dress for myself or if Vernon's family is paying for it. Seeing as the wedding is in less than two months, it would be nice if you could tell me as soon as possible._

_Hope to hear from you quite soon,_

_Lily_

* * *

July 7, 1979

_Petunia,_

_Mum just told me that you're refusing to let me be a bridesmaid at your wedding. Really, Petunia? Your own sister? If this is about James, you should know that I don't care what you think of him at all, because I love him. At least he has a sense of humor._

_Lily_

* * *

August 5, 1979

_Petunia,_

_I'm sick and tired of writing to you and never getting a reply back. We hardly ever talk, and do you realize that you have never once written to me? Not even while I was at Hogwarts! But that's not why I'm writing now. I don't care about that at this point, and if the situation were not what it is, I wouldn't be bothering to tell you._

_Mum is very ill. I've been to see her in the hospital every day this week, but she misses you. You haven't seen her since your wedding day. I talked to the doctor about it and he says her heart is failing. Old age, I guess. He says she doesn't have much longer to live. James and I have moved our wedding to November so she can be there, you should be getting an invitation in the mail later this week. I know you don't care about me anymore, but please make an effort to see our mother one last time. Not for my sake. For hers._

_Lily_

* * *

TO: Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Dursley

September 10, 1979

The honor of your presence is requested at the marriage of

**Miss Lillian Marie Evans**

daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Patrick R. Evans

to

**Mr. James Alexander Potter**

son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Arthur C. Potter

Saturday, the 17th of November, 1979

at two o'clock in the afternoon

Saint Mary's Church

Godric's Hollow

Reception to follow for all family and friends

Please R.S.V.P. via owl to Mr. James Potter by November 1st

* * *

September 19, 1979

_Lily,_

_I am writing to you to say only that Vernon and I will not be attending your wedding. Potter has infuriated poor Vernon too much for him to bear, and so you will have to accept that we won't be in attendance. Vernon is worried that if he goes he would spend the whole time being mocked, and he won't stand for it. Besides, the marriage of two such freaks is bound to be nothing but a circus anyway._

_Don't bother writing anymore, Lily. I'm afraid I've grown rather tired of your correspondence._

_Best of luck, you'll need it,_

_Petunia_

* * *

TO: Petunia and Vernon Dursley

August 3, 1980

It's with much joy and pride that we introduce to you

**HARRY JAMES POTTER  
**  
Arrived: July 31, 1980

Weight: 8 lbs. 7 oz.

Length: 17 inches

He fills our hearts with much love

James and Lily Potter

* * *

Petunia read through the announcement of her nephew's birth quickly, as if hoping that the sooner she got the reading over with, the sooner the knowledge of her sister's happy news would go away. She rose from her spotless kitchen table and immediately crumpled the announcement in her bony hands, depositing it furiously into the rubbish bin without giving it a second look. What did she care if her freak of a sister and her sister's freak husband had spawned yet another freak? What did she care if this Harry child had been brought into the world? She was perfectly happy with her own newborn, Dudley. Happy and safe on Privet Drive. Why did she need to concern herself with the new brat?

"I'm home, Petunia dear!" called a voice from the hall. Petunia ran to the front door to welcome her husband home. Vernon, just as large and beefy as he would remain for the rest of his days, was in the process of trying to take off his coat at the same time as keep ahold of his briefcase.

"Here, darling, let me help you with that." offered Petunia fussily.

"Ah, yes thank you," Vernon looked relieved as she took the coat off of his shoulders for him. "I see that you've already gotten the post. Anything interesting?"

Petunia pursed her lips. "My sister had her baby."

"Did she? How old is your sister again?"

"She turned twenty in January."

"Bit young for kids, don't you think?"

"Oh, certainly," said Petunia scathingly. "But as we both know, my dear sister has never been one for upholding moral standards."

As the couple moved into the kitchen, Petunia chanced a look at the rubbish bin, where the birth announcement was still lurking like a recurring nightmare. Petunia glared at it. Hadn't she told Lily that she didn't want to be associated with her anymore? Hadn't she made it clear enough that she didn't want to have any more correspondence with her freakish sister? There was a reason that she didn't write back all those years ago, even though Lily begged for her forgiveness. The jealousy that Petunia had for her sister ran too deeply for her to explain. Jealousy and morphed into anger, which in turn had become an inexplicable hatred. It was for this reason that Petunia threw away the announcement of Harry's birth. She wasn't to know that the announcement would be the very last thing her sister communicated with her about, and for that reason she thought nothing of it. She hated her sister, she didn't care about her at all anymore, and she wouldn't have to ever concern herself with Lily again.

How very wrong she was. About everything.

_A/N: Thanks for reading, guys! Don't forget to leave a review! Also, if you need a hand writing your next story, I'd definitely suggest going to hpfanfictionprompts on tumblr, which is where I got the idea for this story. There are quite a few prompts there already, and more are added all the time. I'll probably have another story posted very soon :)_


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